Island Population Responses to Environmental Stresses

像新疾病这样的大型和不可预测的压力源正在以越来越多的频率和强度影响几乎所有物种。了解物种如何做出反应通常依赖于遗传学研究。岛屿是研究这种反应的好地方，因为大部分的常驻物种通常都会受到影响。2019冠状病毒病大流行扰乱了许多学生——尤其是那些来自代表性不足群体的学生——获得研究压力源基因反应所需的培训和指导的能力。这次研讨会将帮助解决这个问题，为来自波多黎各和南佛罗里达的学生提供分析和解释基因数据的尖端技能，他们可能会发现这些数据具有挑战性。该研讨会将通过让来自STEM代表性不足社区的参与者参与在大多数实验室和实地工作有限的情况下可以进行的研究活动，帮助确保他们的持续学术进步。学员将从他们的独立研究项目中获得分析基因表达数据的技能，这些项目涉及生物多样性范围内的生物对生物和非生物应激源的反应。参与者和讲师之间高度的“动手”虚拟互动将被用作平台。随后将通过电子邮件和聊天小组进行交流，并发布录制的会议和相关的辅助教学材料。结果可能会对生物体如何适应新的环境挑战产生新的见解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Large and unpredictable stressors like new diseases are impacting practically all species with increasing frequency and strength. Understanding how species respond often relies on studies of genetics. Islands are a good place to study such responses because a large fraction of resident species are usually impacted. The COVID pandemic has disrupted the ability of many students – especially those from underrepresented groups -- to get the training and mentoring they need to study genetic responses to stressors. This workshop will help fix that problem by providing students from Puerto Rico and southern Florida with cutting edge skills for analyzing and interpreting genetic data that they may find challenging.The workshop will help ensure the continued academic progress of participants from STEM underrepresented communities by engaging them in research activities that can be undertaken when most laboratory and fieldwork is limited. Workshop participants will acquire skills to analyze gene expression data from their independent research projects on response of organisms across the span of biological diversity to biotic and abiotic stressors. A high degree of “hands-on” virtual interaction between participants and instructors will be used as a platform. This will be followed with email and chat group communications and coupled with posted recorded sessions and associated supporting instructional materials. Results are likely to yield new insights about how organisms adapt to new environmental challenges.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.